Seal for conduits.



UniTED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE,

WILLIAM WALLACE WOTHERSPOON, GF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEAL FOR CONDUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 23, 1912, Serial No. 692,716. Renewed August 13, 1918. Serial No. 249,721.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM WALLACE VVoTnEusrooN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county 5 of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seals for Conduits, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. In the installation of electric systems in ships, it-is the duits for carrying the conductors or wires,

along the inner sides of the hull of the veS-.

sel. In this position the conduits extend in many cases through water-tight compartments separated from each other by partitions or bulk heads, the conduits extending through the separating partitions and being sealed lherein so as to prevent the leakage of water. between the compartments around the conduits. It is the practice to provide the conduitr with junction boxes through which access may be had from the compartments to the interior of the conduit, which junction boxes are usually provided with lids or covers which may not be fitted sufliciently tight to prevent the entrance of water under the conditions described. In the event of leakage of water into one of the compartn'ients, it will find its way through the junction box therein into the interior of the conduit, and the water will flow through the other junction boxes into the other compartments, thereby flooding the entireserie's of. compartments through which the conduit, extends.4 This will result not only in serious injury to the conductors and the disability of the entire system, but may cause a serious listing or even sinking of the vessel.

It is the aim of the present invention to avoidl these objectionable conditions, and to this end my invention consists in the provision of a filling for thefconduit,`of such character that it will" form a local seal across the interior of the same, these filling's being arranged in the conduit between duit through any exposed opening, will be checked by the fillings in the other` compartments and be prevented from flooding the same.

I prefer to employ some material for the u filling which may be conveniently intropractice to extend the con-` `fest, however, that duced into, the conduit, which when introduced will form alsolid sealing plug, and which, when there is occasion to remove or insert the conductors, may be conveniently removed from the conduit, and I have found parafiin to loe a satisfactory ma-terial answering these conditions. The paraffin may be through a hole in the side of the conduit, and hardening filling or sealing plug closely surrounding and embedding the conductors. It is maniother materials maybe employed for this purpose, and that other means may be resorted to to effect the local sealing of the interior of the conduit, without departing tion. AIt will be understood, therefore, that my invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of the parts ex- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a number of water-tight compartments showing a conduit extending therethrough, and yhaving my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an elevationon an enlarged scale of a section of the conduit showing the same provided with a hole and pouring funnel for the introduction ofthe filling.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line a--a of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 2, 3 and 4 represent a number of adjoining water-tight compartments separated by bulk heads or partitions 5, 5, 5, etc., and 6 represents a conduit extending horizontally through the sev-- eral compartments and through Athe partitions between them, ,which conduit is sealed as usual in the partitions to prevent the leakage of water from one compartment to the next aroundthe conduit. The conduit is as usual provided in each compartment with an opening for permitting access to its interior, such as a junction box 7 for the purpose of permit-ting the installation or removal of the conductors' 8, or their connection vor repair, or for other and similar purposes. The junction boxes are usually closed by lids, which, however, as

therein, will produce a solid.

from the limits of my invena rule are not fitted suf I ficiently tight to exclude water, hence if one of the compartments is flooded, as byinjury thereto or otherwise, the water will find its way into the conduit through the junction box, and from the conduit Will escape into the other compartments and flood them as well asthe entire conduit. To prevent this 'As before stated, it is preferable to form the filling of a material which will admit of' its convenient introduction into the conduit, as Well as its removal therefrom, in the event of itsbeing desired to remove the conducand embed the conductors Within it.

tors or to introduce additional ones. vI employ as satisfactory for this purpose, a material which will liquefy or melt on the application of a moderate degree of heat, such for instance as paraffin. In forming' the filling of paraflin it is introduced in melted form through a hole or opening 10 in the side 'of the conduit, with the result that it will spread out in the conduit in a mass, and quickly hardening at the ends will pile up in the form of' a solid filling, extending entirely across the interior ot' the conduit and a slight distance lengthwise thereof, as shown in dotted lines (F ig. 2) and in full lines (Fig. 3), and will closely surround In order to provide for the convenient introduction of the lling and to produce a finished appearance of the conduit at the point of introduction, I provide a pouring funnel ll, which surrounds the hole l0 and"l is carried a sleeve or collar 12, detachably clamped L around the' conduit, this funnel being provided: with a 'cover vor cap 13, toy

A To permit the removalof 1 the filling, asecon'd holeforopening' 14 isi formed/' "in the/.f Cliduf'j 'OPPO'si'te'Y the other opening, throughE which, 1after `the sleeve has been slipped'along'ttheconduit to exposeit, if and Vafter amoderate degree of heat has been close the same.

applied,gli the `liquid paral'iini will escape.

Vin presence of: two witnesses.y

connection with electric installation for ships, where the conduit passes .through water-tight compartments, it will be understood that the invention is applicable as well to other environments, and in fact Wherever there may be occasion to provide a local seal or filling across the interior ofthe conduit..

and formed with a funnel vcommunicatingy ywith the other opening.

A2. In combination with a partition separating adjoining compartments, a conduit extending in said compartments and sealed water-tight in the partition, said conduit 'having openings for access therein from the respective compartments, and solid local fillings located in the conduit at points between the'said openings, said fillings sealing the interior of the conduit.

3. In combination with a plurality of partitions separating adjoining compartments, a conduit extending through said compartments and sealed Water-tight in the partitions and having upper and lower peripheral openings situated in each compartment junction boxes applied to the conduit, and spaced'solid llings of a liquefable material in said conduit, the said fillings embedding the conductor at intervals corresponding to .the locationo the. openings, and said fillings `forming local seals extending across the in- `terior 'of' the conduit to prevent the passage vof water.therethrougl1,'and adapted to be vintroduced through the upper` Openings and discharged lthrough the lower openings.

5' v Y In testimony ,whereof I aflix myv signature j j WItLnM WALLACE WOTHERSPOON.

z t VWitnesses :l

` M. FRIEDMAN,

GCI. NIELsnN. .j 

